In cellular network systems, in particular in a global view, the overall volume of data traffic has come to exceed the overall volume of voice traffic. In addition, the sales of smart phones have been growing over the last years. A typical traffic pattern of smart phones is the sporadic transmission and/or reception of small data packets (in the amount of a few kBs), called heartbeats, followed by a longer period of data inactivity. When a heartbeat is due for transmission, smart phones setup a radio resource control (RRC) connection (if they are in idle state), exchange the data with the (always-on type of) application over the network and release the RRC connection when all data is exchanged. This process is repeated whenever the smart phone needs to update its status with the currently running application(s). This of course results in a high number of RRC connection setups and releases, thus, in a much larger amount of control signalling as compared to the amount of exchanged data.
A discontinuous reception (DRX) operation in an RRC connected state offers the possibility of battery savings and at the same time relaxes the control signalling problem by keeping DRX capable UEs RRC connected for a longer period of time, i.e. smart phones do not have to setup the RRC connection every time. However, this DRX approach in the RRC Connected state may provide disadvantages when mobility becomes a factor for the UEs under consideration. In such a case, keeping the UE longer RRC connected means that handovers (HOs) must be executed, the frequency of the HO depending of course on the UE speed and the cell size on UE's route. If the fact is considered that in terms of control signalling, a HO procedure outweighs the RRC connection (release and setup) procedure, and then one problem is exchanged by another.
There may be a need for an improved system and method being adapted to provide an efficient control of a radio resource connection avoiding the above mentioned problems.